SKYWARN Newsletter #220

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Hello to all...

Massachusetts ARES-SKYWARN Assists Voice Over IP Hurricane Jeanne SKYWARN Net...

Severe Weather Statistics Summary for the 2004 Severe Weather Season...

SKYWARN Strategy Meeting for Coordinators, Net Controls and Alternate NCS' This Week...

Southern New England Weather Conference Saturday November 6th, 2004....

SKYWARN Recognition Day Saturday December 4th, 2004 0000-2400 UTC...

ARRL Letter Article: Storm-Weary Amateur Radio Volunteers Confront Hurricane's Aftermath...

ARRL Letter Article: Radio Amateur To Spearhead DERA Relief Mission to Haiti...

American Red Cross Disaster Service Courses Being Offered in Walpole Massachusetts....

***Newsletter Issued: 10/12/04.

Massachusetts ARES-SKYWARN Assists Voice Over IP Hurricane Jeanne SKYWARN Net...

Massachusetts ARES-SKYWARN assisted the Voice Over IP Hurricane Net as it

activated once again for Hurricane Jeanne. This was the fourth hurricane

to impact the state of Florida in the 2004. Florida is the first state

to be impacted by 4 hurricanes since Texas was impacted in 1886. The

VoIP Hurricane Net activated at 10 AM EDT Saturday September 25th, 2004

and ended at 3 PM EDT Sunday September 26th, 2004.

The SEMARA (Southeast Massachusetts Amateur Radio Association) ARES team

supported the Hurricane Jeanne activation from 8 PM-Midnight Saturday

and from 10 AM-Noon on Sunday. During the Saturday Evening shift, the

western eyewall of Jeanne impacted portions of Southeast Florida coast

during the evening timeframe. Winds increased and Amateur Radio

Operators KG4GOQ-Paul and KA4EPS-Lu kept everyone informed with

reports out of Lake Worth, Deerfield Beach and the Boynton Beach

Inlet area of Mallalapan, Florida. Paul reported roof tiles

being blown off his roof followed by more significant roof

damage as winds gusted to over 100 MPH. KA4EPS-Lu reported Southwest

Winds from the Boynton Beach Inlet area of Mallalapan, Florida of 97

MPH with gusts to 116 MPH. This measured report was a critical report

that received praise from National Hurricane Center Coordinator,

Julio Ripoll, WD4R, who was at the WX4NHc station at the National

Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.

Other reports second hand of power outages and a Communications

Tower for Riviera Beach collapsing were also noted during the

evening shift. In addition, KE4TTE-Ted, reported measured winds

sustained of 25-30 MPH with gusts to 53 MPH in Orlando, Florida

as they entered the Tropical storm force wind field. A

relayed report from Matt Kuhl-KE5CQF from a friend

in Kissimmee, Florida, who as a weather station, was received with

sustained winds of 40 MPH with gusts to 70 MPH was also sent into

the National Hurricane Center. In addition, the Broward County EOC

jumped on the air and gave a situation report to the net.

On the second shift on Sunday Morning, reports came in from the

Tampa Bay and Orlando Florida area as Jeanne shifted more northward

across the Florida peninsula. Reports from the area of wind gusts

as high as 66 MPH were received from Spring Hill, Florida. In addition,

in Sun City Center, Florida, KA1OV-Richard clocked sustained winds of

42 MPH with gusts to 54 MPH and three roofs blown off homes along

with a club Amateur Radio antenna blown down from strong winds.

In addition, 3.5" of rain was recorded in Orlando, Florida from another

Ham spotter in the area. In addition, Don Manley-N1PMB, President of

the SEMMARA Club relayed a report from his sister in Port St. Lucie,

Florida of a hole torn in the roof of her sister's home from Hurricane

Jeanne. All reports from Saturday Evening and Sunday

Morning were forwarded utilizing the online reporting from on the

VoIPwX web-site.

Hams from Massachusetts ARES-SKYWARN who assisted in this activation

included Jim-N1TZM, Rick-W1RJC, Tony-N1XRS, Chris-W1EAV and Rob-KD1CY.

In addition, Brian-N1LFE and Sheree-KB1KHJ who are from West Haven,

CT were visiting the area and monitored the activation at the

SEMARA Club on Saturday Evening. On Sunday Morning, Jed-N1JBC,

Shawn-K1VSR and Bill-K1IBR were monitoring along with Rob-KD1CY

during the morning shift. KD4CLJ-Dave Bodman also monitored

as an alternate/backup station during portions of the shifts that

SEMARA ARES was active.

Amateurs from around the Us have participated in activations of

the VoIP hurricane net. Amateurs from Florida, North Carolina,

Texas, Hawaii and Ohio participated in this activation. In addition,

Amateurs from Canada, and Australia also participated.

The resourcefulness of the group was also tested as early on in

the activation. The typical server that is utilized on the Echolink

side called Wx-TALk had Internet bandwidth problems. VK3JED-Tony

Langdon, who also developed the combined "Echo-IRLP" node

capability utilized his server for this activation on the Echolink

side and it worked flawlessly.

The activation was featured on Amateur Radio Newsline #1416. You

will hear Rick-W1RJC reading the latest advisory on Jeanne to

all on the net and a brief clip of Rob-KD1CY on the air as well.

Below is a link to where you can listen to the article on the

VoIP Hurricane Net for Hurricane Jeanne:

http://www.sparcweb.net/main.htm

Special thanks to all those who assisted in a support role for

the VoIP Hurricane Net.

Severe Weather Statistics Summary for the 2004 Severe Weather Season...

The following are Severe Weather Statistics for the 2004 SKYWARN season

to date. This information should help support where training is needed

and how well the state of the SKYWARN program is. The information is

based on LSR's and on the Amateur Radio log sheets for each event

along with any reports received within a few days after the event.

Here is the amount of activations of SKYWARN in 2004 and the first

formal activation date versus SKYWARN in 2003:

SKYWARN 2004

SKYWARN Formal Activations with Formal Ops at NWS Taunton: 10

SKYWARN Self/Formal Activations without formal Ops at NWS Taunton: 12

Total SKYWARN Activations for severe weather as of October 11th, 2004: 22

**Includes an activation for Tropical Storm Charley under formal activations.

First Formal SKYWARN Activation of the year: Monday May 24th, 2004.

SKYWARN 2003

SKYWARN Formal Activations with Formal Ops at NWS Taunton: 9

SKYWARN Formal Activations without Formal Ops at NWS Taunton: 3

SKYWARN Self-Activations (Activations without call from NWS): 1

Total SKYWARN Activations as of November 28th, 2003: 13

First formal SKYWARN Activation of the year: Friday June 27th, 2003.

Here is a year over year analysis beginning with analysis of this year

through October 11th, 2004. This report only includes convective

events. It does not include general synoptic scale wind events. It also

does not include flash flood events that occurred during some of the

severe weather events.

Note: Data percentages for either year's report do not equal 100% due

to rounding.

Reports Relayed Via Amateur Radio and Supporting Contacts within Amateur

Radio Operator Resources:

SKYWARN 2004

5/15 0 of 2 0%

5/18 2 of 2 100%

5/23 15 of 15 100%

5/24 14 of 17 82.4%

6/2 6 of 7 85.7%

6/9 8 of 8 100%

6/25 4 of 4 100%

7/1 3 of 3 100%

7/2 37 of 46 80.4%

7/5 5 of 5 100%

7/8 3 of 4 75%

7/17 3 of 3 100%

7/18 0 of 0 0%

8/3 3 of 4 75%

8/11 1 of 1 100%

8/20 30 of 42 71.43%

8/21 19 of 23 82.6%

TOTAL 153 of 186 82.3%

SKYWARN Spotter Reports from Spotter Line/NWS Employee (Non-Ham)/TV

Meteorologists/Direct Public Safety and/or public reports not relayed

by Amateur Radio:

SKYWARN 2004

5/15 2 of 2 100%

5/24 3 of 17 17.6%

6/2 1 of 7 14.3%

7/2 9 of 46 19.6%

7/8 1 of 4 25%

8/3 1 of 4 25%

8/20 12 of 42 28.57%

8/21 4 of 23 17.4%

TOTAL 33 of 186 17.7%

Reports Relayed Via Amateur Radio and Supporting Contacts within Amateur

Radio Operator Resources:

SKYWARN 2003

5/28 2 of 2 100%

6/23 4 of 5 80%

6/27 2 of 3 66.7%

7/1 1 of 3 33%

7/18 0 of 1 0%

7/21 2 of 2 100%

7/22 6 of 6 100%

8/6 4 of 5 80%

8/13 8 of 10 80%

8/17 6 of 9 66.7%

8/22 16 of 17 94.1%

9/23 3 of 4 75%

9/29 1 of 1 100%

Total 55 of 68 80.9%

SKYWARN Spotter Reports from Spotter Line/NWS Employee (Non-Ham)/TV

Meteorologists:

SKYWARN 2003

5/28 0 of 2 0%

6/23 1 of 5 20%

6/27 1 of 3 66.7%

7/1 1 of 3 33.3%

7/18 0 of 1 0%

7/21 0 of 2 0%

8/6 1 of 5 20%

8/13 2 of 10 20%

8/17 2 of 9 22.2%

8/22 1 of 17 5.9%

9/23 0 of 4 0%

9/29 0 of 1 0%

Total 9 of 68 13.24%

Direct Public Safety and/or Public Reports Not Relayed by Amateur Radio

All other dates had no reports except for the following:

7/18 1 of 1 100% -Public Report.

9/23 1 of 4 25% -Report from State Police.

Total 2 of 68 2.94%

From this data, several trends are noted:

1.) 2004 had close to three times the severe weather of 2003.

2.) Amateur Radio's percentage of reports went up to the level they

were at in 2002. The data appears to show that the Amateur Radio

Community is almost the only source for valuable reporting

data for marginal severe events. This can most likely be

accredited to the ARES-SKYWARN Self-Activation process for

when warnings are issued.

3.) There was only a slight increase in formal SKYWARN Activations

from last year but a much greater increase in SKYWARN self-

activations from a year ago.

4.) The percentage of reports that were not from the Amateur Radio

community edged up slightly to 17.7%. This was most likely due

to the increased number of severe events this year.

5.) Not counted in this summary were the number of lightning and flash

flood reports received from the Amateur Community that verified

when calls were made to public safety concerning those reports. In

particular, Amateur Radio Operators did a fine job relaying reports

of injuries etc. when they occurred from lightning.

This will most likely be the final summary for this year unless SKYWARN

Severe Weather Activations occur again before the end of the year.

SKYWARN Strategy Meeting for Coordinators, Net Controls and Alternate NCS' This Week...

The SKYWARN Strategy Meeting for Coordinators, Net Controls and Alternate NCS'

will be this Saturday October 16th, 2004 at 10 AM at NWS Taunton. The following

is an agenda for that meeting and the minutes of the meeting will be posted in

a later newsletter:

I.) 2004 SKYWARN Year-In-Review Presentation

II.) SKYWARN Training 2005

A.) Discuss locations for SKYWARN Training for 2005.

B.) Discuss the number of locations for training.

C.) Discuss the usage of SKYWARN Refresher Training Classes.

III.) Discuss Liaison Paths for the Various Regions

A.) Review the current documented liaison paths for each region so that

Net Controls & liaisons can always have a path to NWS Taunton and vice- versa.

B.) Incorporate the updates into the current liaison path documents.

C.) Make sure neighboring regions know where to go to gather information on

weather that maybe moving toward their region.

IV.) Email and IM Usage for NWS Reporting

A.) Discuss utilization of IM software for reporting from non-Ham spotters as needed.

B.) Discuss utilization of 2 new email addresses for reports into NWS Taunton

where Amateur Radio Operators could forward reports.

C.) Discuss the status on the new web page GUI based system that is being

worked on.

D.) Discuss other ways we can publicize SKYWARN Amateur Radio Frequencies and

net usage (NOAA Weather Radio/NWS Web-Site).

V.) SKYWARN Recognition Day Plans for 2004

A.) Discuss the plan for operations for SKYWARN Recognition Day for December

4th, 2004 from 0000-2400 UTC.

B.) Discuss whether a QSL Card will be offered.

VI.) SKYWARN Spotter Database Entry

A.) Discuss a plan to complete SKYWARN Spotter Database entry before the end of 2004.

B.) Restate how and where the data will be distributed.

VII.) Lessons Learned from Hurricane Net Activations

A.) Discuss some lessons learned during the hurricane net activations.

B.) Discuss how WX4NHC will plug into our SKYWARN Network and how we will

execute on getting appropriate data into their office.

VIII.) Storm Ready Program Update

A.) Latest update on what towns and cities are getting involved Storm Ready.

B.) Plan for future towns and cities to join the Storm Ready Program.

IX.) Updated Status on NWS Taunton Ham Station Operations

A.) Update on utilization of the Icom IC-735 HF Radio.

B.) Discuss installing battery backup power for the Ham station.

C.) Discuss any other enhancements for the station.

X.) Any other NWS Topics

XI.) NEXT DATE FOR THE SKYWARN STRATEGY MEETING

Southern New England Weather Conference Saturday November 6th, 2004....

The Southern New England Weather Conference will be Saturday November 6th, 2004

at the Clay Center for Science and Technology at the Dexter/Southfield School,

20 Newton Street in Brookline, Mass. The cost of the tickets which includes

a continental breakfast, lunch, and hors d'oeurves is $65 for adults and $55

for students through October 15th and from October 16th through the day of

the conference is 75 dollars for adults and 65 dollars for students.

This is the fifth annual conference that is put on with mutual cooperation

from NWS Taunton, Mass., the Blue Hill Observatory, the Greater Boston

Chapter of the American Meteorological Society and the NWS Taunton chapter

of the National Weather Association. For an agenda and information on how

to register, please see the following link:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/announcement/2004SNEWxConf.html

The conference provides a way to learn more about the various topics of

weather that are covered.

SKYWARN Recognition Day Saturday December 4th, 2004 0000-2400 UTC...

SKYWARN Recognition Day will be held Saturday December 4th, 2004 from 0000-2400

UTC (which is 7 PM Friday 12/3 at 7 PM Saturday 12/4 at 7 PM). SKYWARN

Recognition Day is held annually in early December to thank the SKYWARN

Spotter community for their timely severe weather reporting to NWS offices

across the nation for the protection of life and property.

NWS Taunton will operate the event under call-sign WX1BOX. It is hoped

that this year, we will be able to participate throughout the entire event.

Last year, we had the "SKYWARN Recognition Day" Major Nor'easter, which

brought 50-60 MPH winds, 1-3 feet of snow, moderate coastal flooding and

downed trees and power lines in portions of the region. The weekend

turned into a SKYWARN Activation marathon lasting 2.5 days.

The current tentative plan is to operate from 7 PM-12 AM Friday December 3rd

and from 7 AM-7 PM Saturday December 4th. It is not clear whether a QSL Card

will be offered and that will be under discussion at the SKYWARN Strategy

Meeting for coordinators and net controls Saturday October 16th.

In addition, the Boston Amateur Radio Club will be active with a station

on the Blue Hill Observatory under call-sign W1BOS/MQE. Hams from the Boston

Amateur Radio Club braved the winter storm last year by setting up their

antennas a day early and operating on the Saturday of the event. The Amateurs

had 4-Wheel Drive vehicles to get up the hill and back safely and left Blue

Hill before the worst conditions peaked Saturday Evening.

Further details will follow in later SKYWARN Newsletters and updates to the

email list. For more information on a national level on SKYWARN Recognition Day,

please see the following link:

http://hamradio.noaa.gov/

ARRL Letter Article: Storm-Weary Amateur Radio Volunteers Confront Hurricane's Aftermath...

The following is an ARRL Letter article on Amateur Radio support during Hurricane Jeanne.

==>STORM-WEARY AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS CONFRONT HURRICANE'S AFTERMATH....

Amateur Radio this past week once again was part of a storm relief and

recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Jeanne--the fourth storm in six

weeks to hit Florida. Jeanne made landfall September 25 some 5 miles

southeast of Stuart--not far from where Hurricane Frances struck September

5. Authorities blamed the storm--a Category 3 hurricane with 120 MPH

winds--for at least six deaths, and the state was declared a major

disaster area. The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) <http://www.hwn.org>--whose

members tracked the storm up through the Caribbean--wrapped up three full

days of communication support September 26.

"Since the wind field was much larger than Frances', Jeanne knocked out

recently restored power to much of east and central Florida quite early

and easily," said HWN Assistant Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. He noted

that since debris cleaned up after Hurricane Frances had not yet been

picked up, Hurricane Jeanne had an "abundance of projectiles" at her

disposal.

Other reports indicated that after Frances denuded much of the region's

vegetation, Jeanne came along and tore off roofs, then dumped heavy rain

into the vulnerable houses and buildings. The storm disrupted conventional

telecommunications and left some 2.5 million homes without electrical

power.

Over the storm's course, HWN members received reports throughout the

northwestern Bahamas and eastern and central Florida. Many areas of the

Bahamas also were still recovering from Hurricane Frances. As Marti Brown,

KF4TRG/C6A, reported to the HWN: "Let me tell you that this storm was

virtual hell."

During severe storms, the HWN works hand-in-hand with WX4NHC

<http://www.wx4nhc.org> at the National Hurricane Center in Miami to

gather ground-level weather data and damage reports from Amateur Radio

volunteers in a storm's path. The net relays these to forecasters via

WX4NHC, which regularly checks into the net and also disseminates weather

updates.

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers were at the ready before

Hurricane Jeanne arrived, supplementing communication at emergency

operations centers and shelters set up for evacuees. ARRL Southern Florida

Section Emergency Coordinator Jim Goldsberry, KD4GR, said Indian River

County appeared to be the hardest hit. ARES teams in Palm Beach, Martin,

St Lucie, Brevard and Indian River counties also assisted American Red

Cross and Salvation Army relief and damage assessment efforts.

Northern Florida SEC Nils Millergren, WA4NDA, reported that operators

handled shelter duty in Flagler, Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia

counties.

The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz

handled health-and-welfare traffic in the aftermath of the storm on the

air and via its Web site. Special sessions of the Southern Florida ARES

Net were called up on 7242 kHz.

August and September have seen unprecedented activity, said the HWN's

Graves, who thanked all stations that participated in the recent

activation. Noting that four major tropical storms have not struck the

same state in the same year since 1886, Grave said, "Let us hope and pray

that record is not broken this year."

ARRL Letter Article: Radio Amateur To Spearhead DERA Relief Mission to Haiti...

The following ARRL Letter article concerns an Amateur who is spearheading

a relief effort with DERA as Haiti was seriously impacted by Jeanne with

widespread flooding that killed close to 2,000 and injured scored of others.

==>RADIO AMATEUR TO SPEARHEAD DERA RELIEF MISSION TO HAITI

An ARRL member from Florida, Catherine Lawhun, KG4UKI, is heading to Haiti

with a small team to provide communication support for the relief effort

in the flood-ravaged city of Gonaives. The Disaster Preparedness and

Emergency Response Association (DERA) <http://www.disasters.org> is

sponsoring the project. Lawhun says she recognizes that while

storm-stricken communities in the US also need help in recovering, the

need in Haiti is especially urgent.

"Haiti is really in trouble," Lawhun said recounting DERA's rationale for

making Haiti a priority. "The US is probably going to recover. We have the

resources. Haiti might not."

While plans remain in flux, Lawhun says she'll fly to Haiti October 5 with

an Icom IC-706MkIIG HF/VHF/UHF transceiver to establish an HF link to the

US from Gonaives. The project still needs donations of General Mobile

Radio Service (GMRS) portables--which Lawhun's small team will transport

to Haiti--and Amateur Radio operators to serve as HF liaison stations in

the US.

Relief workers and medical personnel in the still-flooded city and at a

newly opened health center will use the GMRS transceivers to keep in touch

with her and with each other. The HF link will permit Lawhun to

communicate back to the US regarding the situation and any equipment or

supply needs. Doctors Without Borders is part of the relief effort in

Haiti.

"As many handheld devices as we can carry in can be given out to doctors

on the ground in the affected city," Lawhun said in an appeal for both

radios and cash donations on the DERA Special Projects Web site

<http://www.manywaters.org/haiti.htm>. The page contains a link to a

signup form for anyone wishing to volunteer for daily HF monitoring

shifts. "The need is huge. Please get involved!"

Many Waters Resource Network will provide free FedEx shipment of GMRS

units and batteries, she said, and donors can email teams@many-waters.com

to request the shipping information. The Special Projects Web site

includes plan details and a "Make a Donation" button for cash

contributions. Donors also may send checks to DERA c/o Haiti Relief

Support, 11445 Honey Jordan Pt, Inglis, FL 34449.

"When recovery is completed for the current disaster, the communications

station will remain on the island," said Lawhun, a radio amateur for about

five years. "This will give the entire island a leg up in the event of any

future catastrophes and establish a working relationship between DERA and

the entire network of missions currently active on the island."

Lawhun, who edits DERA's newsletter, also is a member of The Salvation

Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) and serves as DERA's SATERN

liaison.

While the DERA project initially had hoped to use local Amateur Radio

operators with VHF handhelds, Lawhun says she found few ham radio

operators in Haiti who were willing to risk entering the city, which not

only is ravaged by floodwaters but by disease and looting. She still hopes

that Amateur Radio emergency communication resources can be developed in

Haiti for future disasters.

"I'm one of those people who has just enough faith to get me in trouble,"

Lawhun quipped. "So, I decided that I would pursue this as long as doors

would open, and, lo and behold, they are, so here I am."

A wall of water and mud resulting from then-Tropical Storm Jeanne

inundated much of Gonaives September 18 as it lingered over the island of

Hispaniola for more than a day, dumping heavy rain. The densely populated

city of some 200,000 was the most severely affected region in Haiti. As of

this week, the death toll was nearly 1300, and hundreds more are still

missing.

American Red Cross Disaster Service Courses Being Offered in Walpole Massachusetts....

The following announcement is from the town of Walpole, Massachusetts Emergency

Management Agency Director Roger Turner, W1ZSA concerning Red Cross Disaster

Services classes being offered in his community.

Walpole Emergency Management is pleased to be hosting the four American

Red Cross disaster services programs. These free informative programs are

open to all and will be held from 7 -9:30 PM on Thursday evenings at the

Walpole Senior Center located in the Walpole Town Hall 135 School Street, Walpole.

Please note that you need to have taken the Introduction to Red Cross Disaster

Services before taking these classes.

October 14, 2004, Shelter Operations:

Describes shelter operations, shelter opening and closing.

November 4, 2004, Disaster Assessment:

This newly revised program describes pre and post disaster assessment and covers

the five steps in disaster assessment essential to evaluating the services

require for disaster recovery.

The programs are multi-media based and are designed for a broad based audience.

The courses are of particular interest to anyone who would like to help during

an emergency, who is interested in emergency service, may be in a situation

where you or your family might be in the need of disaster services or

know someone who might be in need of disaster services. Certified

Red Cross Disaster Services instructors will teach the courses

and certificates will be issued for each session.

To Pre-register and for information about these programs, please call Roger

at 508-660-7365. Please leave a message if no one is in the office.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)

ARES SKYWARN Coordinator

Southeast Massachusetts ARES District Emergency Coordinator

SEMARA ARES Emergency Coordinator

Pager #: (508) 354-3142

Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)

Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)

Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)

Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com

http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo

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